Dancing All Around Me : A Rikku x Gippal Fanfiction
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A/N : I really should update more... but I'm so slow at writing! And I don't really have this planned out, so I don't know where this is going... but I usually get something good from doing that. I hope this comes out the same. My idea right now is extremely vague, but I think I can work it out. Right now, I really need some inspiration... so please read and review! Thank you!
- - x - -
CHAPTER SIX : Chaos in Luca
The sun was high in the sky, indicating that it was around noon when the S.S. Winno pulled into one of the many docks in the bustling city of Luca. Despite the fact that blitzball season wasn't until much later this year, the people of Luca were tending to their daily tasks, making the city seem as though it were having a festival of some sort. Everyone was in high spirits; smiling faces and heartwarming laughter filled the air.
"Wow... everything seems to be peaceful for now," the blond-headed Al Bhed girl said as she stepped off the ship and into the city. To Rikku, it seemed as if there were more people in Luca... but that wasn't much of a surprise. Ever since Vegnagun's defeat, Spira had been rejuvenating itself.
As she scanned the busy city, Rikku ambled along, walking away from the dock areas with her knapsack slung over her shoulder. She didn't quite know where she was going, but all she had to worry about right now was getting to Bevelle in about a week and a half. And that, in itself, was more than she needed on her mind right now. Bevelle, from Luca, was a long way off... she'd have to go from Luca to Mi'ihen, and from there, to Moonflow. Then she'd head from Moonflow to Guadosalam; from Guadosalam to Thunder Plains... argh! Her head ached from all that thinking. All she knew was that it would take a while to get to Bevelle.
I'd better get a move-on, then. I can't afford to miss this, Rikku thought.
Subconsciously, she quickened her steps. Everything and everyone around her became a slight blur; she moved between the people, lithely dodging any obstacles hindering her path. The clamorous noise dimmed until she couldn't hear anything but her own heart beating.
Then abruptly, she stopped in her footsteps and found herself just inside the Luca stadium. Slightly out of breath, she took in her surroundings, memories of her days in the Gullwings coming back to her. She recalled one mission she had undertaken with the other two members of YuRiPa: stopping Leblanc at the concert and retrieving Yuna's garment grid. Oh, she had enjoyed herself even back then... and the show Leblanc had put on had actually been pretty good.
She remembered those days... and she admitted to herself that she missed them.
Things just aren't the same without Yunie and Paine..., she thought. I almost wish Vegnagun was still—
Her thoughts were cut short as someone suddenly bumped roughly into her, heading out of the stadium. She felt her knapsack slip from her hand; someone had just stolen her bag!
"Hey, what the—!"
Rikku, angered beyond words, immediately dashed in pursuit. The person who had taken her knapsack was small, and much shorter in height than herself. This, however, did not keep her from losing sight of the little runt, no matter how fast he ran.
The kid was draped in a brown cloak, which fluttered wildly as he ran through the crowds of people on the bridge leading from the stadium to the main square of the city. The people who were pushed aside or bumped into shouted at them in frustration. Rikku ignored them, and they were nothing but shadows to her as she ran by them. She had to admit, though, that this was pretty exciting, despite the fact that her knapsack (which contained her lovely weapons and a few other necessities) was at risk here.
He's fast, Rikku thought. Given her own speed, she would've been able to catch up with any other normal person in no time. Stealth and speed were her best qualities, of course. But this person... he's about as fast as I am!
As they sped through the square and towards the steps leading to the bridge to Mi'ihen, the cloaked person stumbled slightly. This gave Rikku the advantage; she easily narrowed the distance between them, and once she was close enough, she threw herself at the kid's body, tackling him to the ground.
He fought back, struggling to toss Rikku off of him, but the Al Bhed girl wouldn't allow it. She pinned the small figure to the ground, and turned his wiggling form around so she could see his face better. The visage staring back at her was sweaty, and rather young. He was younger than her, she knew—probably mid-teens. The kid was panting from lack of breath, but he still managed to show his anger at having been bested at what he was apparently good at.
Rikku glared back at him, still keeping him pinned. "You know... I might be a thief, too, but when it comes to someone else stealing something of mine, I don't think so. You're lucky this time." She snatched her knapsack from his arms as she jumped up and off of his body. She slung her bag over her shoulder as she fixed her blended orange and yellow scarf, all the while keeping a keen eye on the kid. He had risen to his feet and was brushing the dirt from his clothes.
The two stood glaring the hell out of each other for three exact minutes before a gruff voice interrupted their silent battle.
"Yo Shir, this blondie chick bothering ya?"
Rikku shifted her gaze from the boy standing just a few feet from her, to a big, heavyset man dressed in the same attire as the kid thief. The big man (though he isn't as big as Ormi, Rikku thought) approached them, stepping slightly in front of the boy. He eyed Rikku up and down, as though she were some kind of prostitute offering her services for the night (or day, for that matter). The Al Bhed girl was beyond disgusted.
"Hell yeah," the boy called Shir replied.
The big man managed a chuckle, which sounded more like a deep giggle to Rikku. He grinned slyly at Rikku's defiant face, evidently liking what he saw. "You're a real knockout, baby. And that's the only reason I'm gonna let you off the hook this time. But if you ever mess with my crew, you'll regret it more than anything else. Remember that..."
He turned as if to go, but stopped and turned back to Rikku, who was still glaring at him with intense, swirled, emerald eyes. "Oh, and baby... you signed up for this ribbonhunting thing coming up? 'Cause I'm looking forward to seeing you there. Just ask for Hurpinz." And with that, he gave another of his eerie chuckles (or deep giggles) before walked away with Shir and two other similarly-cloaked men that Rikku had not noticed before.
"Ugh, I refuse to waste my breath on you, Herpes," Rikku muttered as she turned around. Before she could take any steps forward, however, another cloaked figure stood in her path. The many citizens of Luca continued to walk around and in between them, almost as if they didn't exist. But Rikku kept her gaze locked onto this cloaked figure, whom, she supposed, was staring back at her from the shadow of his/her cloak.
Suddenly, the mysterious figure raised its gloved hands and clapped slowly, monotonously, as if praising her for what she had just done. Rikku then realized that this cloaked figure was the exact same one she had seen on the S.S. Winno.
"Who are you?" Rikku asked, her voice seemingly soft and inaudible amid the noise and chatter of the people in the Luca square. She didn't feel any sort of negativity from the cloaked figure, so she knew that this person was not in league with Hurpinz and his crew.
This person's been following me the entire time, Rikku thought. She mentally cursed herself for not noticing earlier.
- - x - -
And of course, she had been following the Al Bhed girl since her departure from Kilika. Since she had gotten off of the ship, it had been a slight pain to keep up with her, but amusing, nonetheless. At least in her eyes, it was. She wasn't quite sure about the Al Bhed girl, though. At first, when she had been running for no apparent reason, she had found it somewhat easy to keep up with her. But when some kid stole her bag and ran off with it... that was when the pain in the ass really started. Both the thief and the Al Bhed girl were fast, and she had to run a damn marathon before she could finally find them. And she had watched the events since.
Now, after that whack group had gone off, she was left with the Al Bhed chick. Throughout all that running-her-ass-off, she had still managed to keep her face hidden. Yet she thought that this was a more than appropriate time to finally introduce herself. The Al Bhed girl had proven just how stubborn she was... and all over a bag, too. But she let that slip from her mind for the moment.
She had given the Al Bhed girl an applause for doing what she had just done. Many girls her age would have just quivered and cried in front of that big man. And for that, she admired her, but only slightly. She, herself, would've done the same, though she might have fought back physically, too.
The girl had just asked her who she was, though she had barely heard over the clamor of the people around them. Letting her fingerlessly-gloved hands fall to her sides, she stood there for a minute, allowing the question to drift through the air until it was seemingly lost. Then she lifted her hands to the hood that covered her head and hid her face in the shadows. She removed it, revealing her deep crimson-colored hair that curled at her shoulders and her stunning, violet eyes. Her lips, glossed a pale pink, quirked upward into a smirk.
She could see the Al Bhed girl blink in surprise. Of course, whenever she dropped her hood, someone was always surprised. They had always expected her to be a man, though she clearly had a feminine figure.
I guess it's the cloak. Otherwise, they wouldn't be surprised, she thought silently.
Then she slowly made her way over to the Al Bhed girl, stopping at only a couple of feet in front of her. She smiled, her violet eyes meeting the girl's uniquely swirled ones. "My name's Aure. And yes, I've been following you the entire time."
The Al Bhed girl, who was the exact same height as herself, held an expression of shock, then confusion. "Why are you following me?"
Aure tossed a hand up in the air nonchalantly, looking around them before returning back to the girl in front of her. "Because I assumed that if I followed you, I'd find some sort of excitement. I needed to get away from Kilika, anyway."
Rikku eyed her suspiciously, as though she couldn't really place any sort of trust in Aure's words. But after a moment, she grinned back at her. "Okay, Aure." It was now that Rikku realized just how pretty Aure really was... she wouldn't have expected someone like her to be hiding in a cloak and sitting in shadows. "I'm Rikku. Al Bhed, one of the members of the Gullwings, who defeated Vegnagun about a year ago."
This brought a spark of interest in Aure's eyes as she noted the change in Rikku's expression. "Really? That's no wonder... you're just like how they say you are."
"What?" Rikku blinked. "What do they say about me? And who's they?"
Aure smirked in that cunning way of hers and turned away. She began walking, heading towards the steps leading to the bridge to Mi'ihen. "Oh, people. You know... gossip. About how stubborn you are, and... y'know, stuff like that." She let it drift from there.
Rikku, however, wasn't content with that response. "Tell me!"
Aure lifted a hand and waved. "I'll be going now."
The Al Bhed girl let out a sound of mock-frustration, following Aure as they exited the main square. "Where are you going?"
The crimson-haired young woman continued walking. "To Bevelle, of course. That's where everyone else who's signed up for the ribbonhunting competition's going."
Rikku's eyes widened as she ran up beside Aure. "You're in it, too? Then I guess we can travel together! We have quite a long way to go from here, you know."
Aure nodded, the hint of a smile still fresh on her glossed lips. She was glad that she had signed up for the competition in Kilika just before she left. There was always more than enough excitement for two people.
- - x - -
A/N : I tried to make this chapter longer... it's actually the longest of all my chapters so far, I think. But this is probably far enough, for now... please review! Thank you!
- - x - -
A/N : I really should update more... but I'm so slow at writing! And I don't really have this planned out, so I don't know where this is going... but I usually get something good from doing that. I hope this comes out the same. My idea right now is extremely vague, but I think I can work it out. Right now, I really need some inspiration... so please read and review! Thank you!
- - x - -
CHAPTER SIX : Chaos in Luca
The sun was high in the sky, indicating that it was around noon when the S.S. Winno pulled into one of the many docks in the bustling city of Luca. Despite the fact that blitzball season wasn't until much later this year, the people of Luca were tending to their daily tasks, making the city seem as though it were having a festival of some sort. Everyone was in high spirits; smiling faces and heartwarming laughter filled the air.
"Wow... everything seems to be peaceful for now," the blond-headed Al Bhed girl said as she stepped off the ship and into the city. To Rikku, it seemed as if there were more people in Luca... but that wasn't much of a surprise. Ever since Vegnagun's defeat, Spira had been rejuvenating itself.
As she scanned the busy city, Rikku ambled along, walking away from the dock areas with her knapsack slung over her shoulder. She didn't quite know where she was going, but all she had to worry about right now was getting to Bevelle in about a week and a half. And that, in itself, was more than she needed on her mind right now. Bevelle, from Luca, was a long way off... she'd have to go from Luca to Mi'ihen, and from there, to Moonflow. Then she'd head from Moonflow to Guadosalam; from Guadosalam to Thunder Plains... argh! Her head ached from all that thinking. All she knew was that it would take a while to get to Bevelle.
I'd better get a move-on, then. I can't afford to miss this, Rikku thought.
Subconsciously, she quickened her steps. Everything and everyone around her became a slight blur; she moved between the people, lithely dodging any obstacles hindering her path. The clamorous noise dimmed until she couldn't hear anything but her own heart beating.
Then abruptly, she stopped in her footsteps and found herself just inside the Luca stadium. Slightly out of breath, she took in her surroundings, memories of her days in the Gullwings coming back to her. She recalled one mission she had undertaken with the other two members of YuRiPa: stopping Leblanc at the concert and retrieving Yuna's garment grid. Oh, she had enjoyed herself even back then... and the show Leblanc had put on had actually been pretty good.
She remembered those days... and she admitted to herself that she missed them.
Things just aren't the same without Yunie and Paine..., she thought. I almost wish Vegnagun was still—
Her thoughts were cut short as someone suddenly bumped roughly into her, heading out of the stadium. She felt her knapsack slip from her hand; someone had just stolen her bag!
"Hey, what the—!"
Rikku, angered beyond words, immediately dashed in pursuit. The person who had taken her knapsack was small, and much shorter in height than herself. This, however, did not keep her from losing sight of the little runt, no matter how fast he ran.
The kid was draped in a brown cloak, which fluttered wildly as he ran through the crowds of people on the bridge leading from the stadium to the main square of the city. The people who were pushed aside or bumped into shouted at them in frustration. Rikku ignored them, and they were nothing but shadows to her as she ran by them. She had to admit, though, that this was pretty exciting, despite the fact that her knapsack (which contained her lovely weapons and a few other necessities) was at risk here.
He's fast, Rikku thought. Given her own speed, she would've been able to catch up with any other normal person in no time. Stealth and speed were her best qualities, of course. But this person... he's about as fast as I am!
As they sped through the square and towards the steps leading to the bridge to Mi'ihen, the cloaked person stumbled slightly. This gave Rikku the advantage; she easily narrowed the distance between them, and once she was close enough, she threw herself at the kid's body, tackling him to the ground.
He fought back, struggling to toss Rikku off of him, but the Al Bhed girl wouldn't allow it. She pinned the small figure to the ground, and turned his wiggling form around so she could see his face better. The visage staring back at her was sweaty, and rather young. He was younger than her, she knew—probably mid-teens. The kid was panting from lack of breath, but he still managed to show his anger at having been bested at what he was apparently good at.
Rikku glared back at him, still keeping him pinned. "You know... I might be a thief, too, but when it comes to someone else stealing something of mine, I don't think so. You're lucky this time." She snatched her knapsack from his arms as she jumped up and off of his body. She slung her bag over her shoulder as she fixed her blended orange and yellow scarf, all the while keeping a keen eye on the kid. He had risen to his feet and was brushing the dirt from his clothes.
The two stood glaring the hell out of each other for three exact minutes before a gruff voice interrupted their silent battle.
"Yo Shir, this blondie chick bothering ya?"
Rikku shifted her gaze from the boy standing just a few feet from her, to a big, heavyset man dressed in the same attire as the kid thief. The big man (though he isn't as big as Ormi, Rikku thought) approached them, stepping slightly in front of the boy. He eyed Rikku up and down, as though she were some kind of prostitute offering her services for the night (or day, for that matter). The Al Bhed girl was beyond disgusted.
"Hell yeah," the boy called Shir replied.
The big man managed a chuckle, which sounded more like a deep giggle to Rikku. He grinned slyly at Rikku's defiant face, evidently liking what he saw. "You're a real knockout, baby. And that's the only reason I'm gonna let you off the hook this time. But if you ever mess with my crew, you'll regret it more than anything else. Remember that..."
He turned as if to go, but stopped and turned back to Rikku, who was still glaring at him with intense, swirled, emerald eyes. "Oh, and baby... you signed up for this ribbonhunting thing coming up? 'Cause I'm looking forward to seeing you there. Just ask for Hurpinz." And with that, he gave another of his eerie chuckles (or deep giggles) before walked away with Shir and two other similarly-cloaked men that Rikku had not noticed before.
"Ugh, I refuse to waste my breath on you, Herpes," Rikku muttered as she turned around. Before she could take any steps forward, however, another cloaked figure stood in her path. The many citizens of Luca continued to walk around and in between them, almost as if they didn't exist. But Rikku kept her gaze locked onto this cloaked figure, whom, she supposed, was staring back at her from the shadow of his/her cloak.
Suddenly, the mysterious figure raised its gloved hands and clapped slowly, monotonously, as if praising her for what she had just done. Rikku then realized that this cloaked figure was the exact same one she had seen on the S.S. Winno.
"Who are you?" Rikku asked, her voice seemingly soft and inaudible amid the noise and chatter of the people in the Luca square. She didn't feel any sort of negativity from the cloaked figure, so she knew that this person was not in league with Hurpinz and his crew.
This person's been following me the entire time, Rikku thought. She mentally cursed herself for not noticing earlier.
- - x - -
And of course, she had been following the Al Bhed girl since her departure from Kilika. Since she had gotten off of the ship, it had been a slight pain to keep up with her, but amusing, nonetheless. At least in her eyes, it was. She wasn't quite sure about the Al Bhed girl, though. At first, when she had been running for no apparent reason, she had found it somewhat easy to keep up with her. But when some kid stole her bag and ran off with it... that was when the pain in the ass really started. Both the thief and the Al Bhed girl were fast, and she had to run a damn marathon before she could finally find them. And she had watched the events since.
Now, after that whack group had gone off, she was left with the Al Bhed chick. Throughout all that running-her-ass-off, she had still managed to keep her face hidden. Yet she thought that this was a more than appropriate time to finally introduce herself. The Al Bhed girl had proven just how stubborn she was... and all over a bag, too. But she let that slip from her mind for the moment.
She had given the Al Bhed girl an applause for doing what she had just done. Many girls her age would have just quivered and cried in front of that big man. And for that, she admired her, but only slightly. She, herself, would've done the same, though she might have fought back physically, too.
The girl had just asked her who she was, though she had barely heard over the clamor of the people around them. Letting her fingerlessly-gloved hands fall to her sides, she stood there for a minute, allowing the question to drift through the air until it was seemingly lost. Then she lifted her hands to the hood that covered her head and hid her face in the shadows. She removed it, revealing her deep crimson-colored hair that curled at her shoulders and her stunning, violet eyes. Her lips, glossed a pale pink, quirked upward into a smirk.
She could see the Al Bhed girl blink in surprise. Of course, whenever she dropped her hood, someone was always surprised. They had always expected her to be a man, though she clearly had a feminine figure.
I guess it's the cloak. Otherwise, they wouldn't be surprised, she thought silently.
Then she slowly made her way over to the Al Bhed girl, stopping at only a couple of feet in front of her. She smiled, her violet eyes meeting the girl's uniquely swirled ones. "My name's Aure. And yes, I've been following you the entire time."
The Al Bhed girl, who was the exact same height as herself, held an expression of shock, then confusion. "Why are you following me?"
Aure tossed a hand up in the air nonchalantly, looking around them before returning back to the girl in front of her. "Because I assumed that if I followed you, I'd find some sort of excitement. I needed to get away from Kilika, anyway."
Rikku eyed her suspiciously, as though she couldn't really place any sort of trust in Aure's words. But after a moment, she grinned back at her. "Okay, Aure." It was now that Rikku realized just how pretty Aure really was... she wouldn't have expected someone like her to be hiding in a cloak and sitting in shadows. "I'm Rikku. Al Bhed, one of the members of the Gullwings, who defeated Vegnagun about a year ago."
This brought a spark of interest in Aure's eyes as she noted the change in Rikku's expression. "Really? That's no wonder... you're just like how they say you are."
"What?" Rikku blinked. "What do they say about me? And who's they?"
Aure smirked in that cunning way of hers and turned away. She began walking, heading towards the steps leading to the bridge to Mi'ihen. "Oh, people. You know... gossip. About how stubborn you are, and... y'know, stuff like that." She let it drift from there.
Rikku, however, wasn't content with that response. "Tell me!"
Aure lifted a hand and waved. "I'll be going now."
The Al Bhed girl let out a sound of mock-frustration, following Aure as they exited the main square. "Where are you going?"
The crimson-haired young woman continued walking. "To Bevelle, of course. That's where everyone else who's signed up for the ribbonhunting competition's going."
Rikku's eyes widened as she ran up beside Aure. "You're in it, too? Then I guess we can travel together! We have quite a long way to go from here, you know."
Aure nodded, the hint of a smile still fresh on her glossed lips. She was glad that she had signed up for the competition in Kilika just before she left. There was always more than enough excitement for two people.
- - x - -
A/N : I tried to make this chapter longer... it's actually the longest of all my chapters so far, I think. But this is probably far enough, for now... please review! Thank you!